368 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



Smith (Tyler ed., 1907, p. 95) and Strachey (1849, p. 117) tell us 

 that the Virginia Indians of the tidewater country used to suck 

 green cornstalks for the sweetness in them, and there is reference to 

 a similar use of native cane before sugarcane was introduced. This 

 is in the report of Edward Blande and his companions of their 

 exploration of "New Brittaine," northeastern North Carolina. They 

 state that the land composing the islands of the Occaneechi and 

 Tutelo Indians in Roanoke River 



consists all of exceeding rich Land, and cleare fields, wherein growes Canes of 

 a foot about, and of one yeares growth Canes that a reasonable hand can hardly 

 span ; and the Indians told us they were very sweet, and that at some time of 

 the yeare they did suck them, and eate them, and of those we brought some 

 away with us. (Alvord, 1912, p. 124.) 



At a relatively late period the Florida Seminole learned how to 

 extract syrup and sugar from the sugarcane, and the crude method 

 used by them in 1880-81 is described by MacCauley (1887, pp. 511-512) 

 but need not be reproduced. 



TREATMENT OF MEATS 

 (Plate 54) 



Regarding the cookery of the native Virginians, particularly the 

 treatment of meats, Beverley says tersely: 



Their Cookery has nothing commendable in it, but that it is performed with 

 little trouble. They have no other Sauce but a good Stomach, which they 

 seldom want. They boil, broil, or tost [i. e., roast] all the Meat they eat. 

 (Beverley, 1705, bk. 3, p. 13.) 



His reference to the absence of a sauce requires modification but 

 he is quite right in laying stress on the universality of the cooking 

 process. They were so disinclined to raw meats that Adair (1775, 

 p. 135) tells us the Indians of his acquaintance overdressed all of 

 them. Du Pratz affirms: 



They never eat raw meat, as so many persons have falsely imagined. Even 

 in Europe we have entire kingdoms which do not give their meats as much 

 time to cook as the natives of Louisiana allow to the most delicate morsels of 

 bison, which is their principal nourishment. (Le Page du Pratz, 1758, vol. 3, 

 p. 12; Swanton, 1911, p. 73.) 



Their manner of dressing meat left much to be desired from our 

 point of view, so far as the smaller animals were concerned. Lawson 

 (1860, p. 92) says that the Keyauwee Indians regaled some of his 

 companions with "one of the country hares, stewed with the guts in 

 her belly, and her skin with the hair on," adding that "the Indians 

 dress most things after the woodcock fashion, never taking the guts 

 out." He seems to mention among animals treated that way the 

 "bear and bever, panther, polecat, wild cat, possum, raccoon, hares, 



